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English

Ayano Watanabe

Senior Digital Product Designer, Design Ops, Illustrator at Freelance (Self employed)
Jerez de la Frontera, Andalusia, Spain
Hourly rate (non-binding)
45
/hour

Preferred skills to work with

Product Design
Design Ops
Illustration
Graphic Design
Digital Project Management

All Skills

Design & Creative (3)
Product Design,
Illustration,
Graphic Design
Quality Assurance (QA) (1)
Usability Testing
General (2)
Content Management,
Photography
Other (4)
Design Ops,
Jira,
UX Research,
Digital Project Management

About

Shaping design bridges through collaboration and lifelong learning.


Hello! I’m Ayano Watanabe, a Digital Design professional with 23 years of experience. Throughout my career in media and leading consultancies in Spain, I have evolved from a Digital Designer to a holistic designer specializing in Product Design, Brand Design, and Digital Project Management. This combination of roles has equipped me with a well-rounded skill set, enabling me to create balanced outcomes by harmonizing customer needs with business strategy and technology across various platforms.


Currently, I focus on leading design teams to enhance design processes and communication. My interest in Design Operations (Design Ops) drives me to refine workflows that boost collaboration and innovation, ultimately improving team performance.


Education is a significant passion of mine, and I love sharing my knowledge through mentorship and workshops. I believe in the importance of continuous learning and fostering a collaborative environment where everyone feels valued.


I welcome connections with fellow professionals interested in design strategies or collaboration opportunities. Feel free to reach out or connect with me here on LinkedIn!

Experiences

Senior Digital Product Designer, Design Ops, Illustrator
Freelance (Self employed)
January 2024 - Present (1 years and 6 months)
Spain, County Cork, Ireland

· Worked as a digital product designer, delivering for B2B partners.

· Organized and estimated tasks.

· Created and developed information architecture and wireframes.

· Designed digital interface solutions based on business and user requirements.

· Prototyped and tested digital products to iterate on solutions.

Senior Digital Product Designer / Design Ops at Sanga Studio
Unicaja
July 2023 - December 2023 (6 months)
Jerez de la Frontera, Andalusia, Spain

Worked as a Senior Product Designer within the digital product design team at Unicaja, contributing to both the Customer Experience department and the Marketing department.

· Collaborated in the creation of an MVP concept for the marketing department, leading the design process by developing user flows, wireframes, and the layout of the MVP.

· Organized and estimated tasks to ensure timely delivery.

· Facilitated communication gathering regular feedback from both the team and stakeholders to improve collaboration and workflow.

· Proposed process improvements within the company.

· Collaborated with the marketing team to produce social media promotions.

Product & Project Manager
Secuoyas
September 2022 - May 2023 (9 months)
Madrid, Community of Madrid, Spain

Worked with a Digital Asset Management B2B platform (CMS) tailored to the needs of IE University.

https://griddo.io/

· Gathered requirements and prioritised deliverables.

· Organised and estimated tasks using Agile methodologies.

· Analysed, negotiated, and ensured that work was delivered on time and within budget.

· Anticipated and negotiated resources according to new client requirements.

· Managed improvised delivery changes, managing time and team commitment in unstable circumstances.

· Facilitated communication to obtain regular feedback within the team to improve both teamwork and the work process.

· Supported the QA and Design team by creating assets and testing deliverables.

· Proposed process improvements within the company.

Team Lead and Product Designer (UX/UI)
Secuoyas
June 2021 - September 2022 (1 years and 4 months)
Madrid, Community of Madrid, Spain

Worked within the digital product design team at Inditex as a Team Leader and Product Designer, delivering for B2B partners.

· Provided guidance and support to product designers to improve their delivery and design processes.

· Proposed process improvements to ensure consistent and accurate communication, maintaining design coherence and consistency.

· Worked closely with product owners to improve internal processes through digital products.

· Created and developed information architecture and wireframes.

· Designed digital interface solutions based on business and user requirements.

· Defined functional specifications.

· Prototyped and tested digital products to iterate on solutions.

Brand & Senior Digital Product Designer at Chazz Design Studio
NTT DATA
September 2017 - June 2021 (3 years and 10 months)

· Supported sales teams by conducting research.

· Organized workshops to address design considerations.

· Designed wireframes for the Jibo Commander app, a personal assistant robot.

· Created wireframes and designed a knowledge sharing tool within an international team.

· Designed a mobile app concept for insurance and banking.

· Developed digital prototypes.

· Tested Minimum Viable Product (MVP) proposals.

· Created logos, brand books, and brand assets.

· Ensured brand coherence and consistency as a brand custodian.

· Directed art to create multimedia content.

· Conceptualized icons and illustrations.

· Created and illustrated narrative scenarios.

Visual Designer at Fjord
Fjord
July 2011 - June 2017 (6 years)

· Managed a design team of 10–12 people on a banking project using Agile methodology.

· Established and maintained communication processes to deliver design outcomes between the design and development teams.

· Conducted interviews, elicited insights, and developed user scenarios for government agencies, financial institutions, and the telecommunications sector.

· Designed web and mobile apps for the energy, financial, industrial, insurance, and telecommunications sectors.

· Supported strategic projects by designing journeys, blueprints, and roadmaps.

· Expedited the delivery process of narrative scenarios by creating an illustration library tool for the business and design teams.

Senior Web Designer
Diario AS
July 2009 - June 2011 (2 years)

· Coordinated design proposals' feasibility with development.

· Created sports-related contests and promotions for marketing.

· Managed as.com advertising.

· Designed wireframes for new sections on as.com.

Web Designer
PRISA
February 2007 - June 2009 (2 years and 5 months)

· Collaborated in digital mass media projects like El Viajero.com, Parasaber.com, Cadenaser.com websites.

· Designed radio stations like Radio Olé, Cadena Dial and Máxima FM websites and subsequent maintenance.

Web Designer
Como Produzco
February 2006 - February 2007 (1 years and 1 month)
Madrid, Spain

· Collaborated in designing the new website for elcorreo.com, a mass media project.

Web Designer
Indra
February 2005 - February 2006 (1 years and 1 month)

· Designed and maintained administrative websites such as those for the Community of Madrid and Madrid City Council.

· Developed style guides.

Digital Designer
NTT DATA
December 2002 - February 2005 (2 years and 3 months)

· Supported the development team coordinated the viability of the design.

· Designed and maintained the Spanish Post Office and Telegraph service website.

· Created interface of the intranet and internal procedure tools.

· Tested the accessibility of the site.

Education

Google Analytics for Beginners
Google Analytics for Beginners, Google Digital Academy (Skillshop)
August 2027
Currently enrolled in a Vocational Education and Training (VET) Teaching program
Currently enrolled in a Vocational Education and Training (VET) Teaching program, Formación Carpe Diem
October 2024
Entrepreneurship Skills & Employability
Entrepreneurship Skills & Employability , Cámara Oficial de Comercio e Industria de Jerez
October 2024
AI Creativity Intro Courses (MidJourney and ChatGPT)
AI Creativity Intro Courses (MidJourney and ChatGPT), Skillshare
August 2024
Surface Pattern Designer Course (Beginner)
Surface Pattern Designer Course (Beginner), Skillshare
July 2024
Financial Advisory Training
Financial Advisory Training , Cámara Oficial de Comercio e Industria de Jerez
November 2023
Figma UI UX Design Essentials
Figma UI UX Design Essentials, Udemy udemy.com
July 2023
Customer Insights: Quantitative Techniques Course
Customer Insights: Quantitative Techniques Course, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign coursera.org
June 2023
Scrum Master Certification (PSM I) Prep Course
Scrum Master Certification (PSM I) Prep Course, Udemy udemy.com
June 2023
The Project Management Course: Beginner to PROject Manager
The Project Management Course: Beginner to PROject Manager, Udemy
August 2021
System Practice Course
System Practice Course, Acumen
March 2019
Service Design Executive Course
Service Design Executive Course, h2i institute
February 2017
UX Intensive Training
UX Intensive Training, Adaptive Path
May 2015
Meaningful Communication Skill Workshop
Meaningful Communication Skill Workshop, LA NAVE NODRIZA
April 2015
Advertising Graphic Design
Certificate of Higher Education (HNC), Escuela de Arte nº10
September 2002
Illustration and Comic Certificate, ESDIP Escuela de Arte
January 2000
Psychology
Bachelor's degree, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia (UNED)